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CAIE A Level Chemistry 9701 · Organic synthesis

Organic synthesis: explain question

Explain4 marksStandard

A compound isolated from a natural oil is found to contain a benzene ring, a carboxylic acid group and an alkene group. A student proposes the following two-step route to convert this compound into a saturated alcohol.

Step 1: react the compound with hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst. Step 2: react the product of step 1 with aqueous sodium hydroxide, followed by dilute acid.

Explain, in terms of the functional groups present, what happens in each step and why the final product is a saturated alcohol.

0 words · 4 marks

No account needed for your first marks. Your answer is used only to mark it.

How this question is marked

4 marks, so the mark scheme is looking for about 4 separate creditworthy points. Making the same point twice in different words earns it once.

Explain means: Give the reasons or the mechanism: why or how something happens. Link each point to the next with because, so or which means. A list of facts with no links usually loses the reasoning marks.

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